Tag: Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022)

Kim Jong-un’s Triumph

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President Xi Jinping of China doesn’t make that many trips abroad. He also isn’t used to going to North Korea to see Kim Jong-un. Most of the time, Kim goes to Xi. So it says something that Xi arrived in Pyongyang on Monday and called for a stronger relationship between the two countries. Xi is visiting at a time when Kim, by most accounts, is feeling pretty smug. His decision to develop nuclear weapons seems to have paid off — just look at Iran. So has his choice to invest…

A ‘Miraculous Transformation’: How Kim Jong-un Fortified North Korea

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During the pandemic, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who had long billed himself as invincible, made a stunning, teary-eyed apology on national television. “I am really sorry,” he said, as the coronavirus, coupled with food shortages and international sanctions, was ravaging his country. “My efforts and sincerity have not been sufficient enough to rid our people of the difficulties in their life.” But while ordinary North Koreans were suffering, Mr. Kim, 42, seized the crisis as a unique opportunity. Now, he is brimming with confidence. He is recognized at…

What To Know as China’s Xi Jinping Heads to North Korea

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The last time China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, traveled to North Korea, that country’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, was reeling from sanctions and failed nuclear talks with the United States. Now, nearly seven years later, as Mr. Xi returns to North Korea on Monday, he will meet with a leader who is newly emboldened by an alliance with Russia that has helped his economy break out of isolation. Mr. Xi is expected to use the two-day summit with Mr. Kim to project a united front between allies against the West. But…

High-Level British Spy Warns of Expanding Russia Threat

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As Russia fails to gain ground in the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin appears to be pursuing a wider conflict in Europe, increasingly targeting critical infrastructure and supply chains, one of Britain’s highest-ranking intelligence officials said in prepared remarks. “Russia is scaling up its daily hybrid activity against the U.K. and Europe,” said Anne Keast-Butler, director of GCHQ, the British electronic surveillance agency, which has been countering what she called the Kremlin’s “reckless sabotage and assassination attempts.” Ms. Keast-Butler’s remarks are part of an annual speech she is…

Days After Hosting Trump, Xi Serves Up Tea and Smiles to Putin

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When the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, hosted President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Beijing on Wednesday for what China said was the Russian leader’s 25th visit, the elephant in the room was President Trump. Less than a week earlier, the American president had made the journey to the Chinese capital. During that trip, Mr. Xi warned Mr. Trump against mishandling Taiwan and asked him to reopen the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, as China seeks to stabilize its tumultuous relationship with the United States. Mr. Putin’s…

As a Weakened Putin Follows Trump to Beijing, Iran War Offers an Opening

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President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit in a position of relative weakness. His army is struggling to move in Ukraine. His seat of power, Moscow, has been increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian drones. Russia’s economy is under severe strain. More Russians are growing tired of what increasingly looks like a fruitless and endless war. Even in better times for Moscow, its relationship with Beijing has been defined by economic imbalance. “China has massive leverage and can dictate exactly what it wants from…

What to Watch at Trump and Xi’s U.S.-China Summit

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The summit between the leaders of the United States and China in Beijing this week represents a pivotal moment for a global economy that has been upended by war and trade tension over the past year. President Trump and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, will have a full agenda to cover, as the world’s two largest economies look for ways to cooperate on geopolitical matters and tamp down differences over tariffs, export controls, Taiwan, sanctions and purchases of American farm products. Mr. Trump will be seeking to open China’s market…

A Shift in Ukraine

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For the past few months, the world has been paying a lot more attention to the war in Iran than the war in Ukraine. But the two conflicts have something in common. They both involve nuclear-armed military superpowers that have found themselves unexpectedly stymied by much smaller countries. That’s a new reality of warfare. Today I’m writing about why Vladimir Putin is feeling newly under pressure, why Volodymyr Zelensky is feeling emboldened — and why big powers with the urge to launch a war of choice might want to think…

To Outbuild China, America Needs Friends

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Opinion The Editorial Board By The Editorial BoardThe editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom. United States Allies and partners United States Allies and partners United States Allies and partners United States Allies and partners NYT

America Can’t Make What the Military Needs

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In 2020 the Navy had a simple plan to build its next fleet of small warships, the Constellation class: take a European design and build it in America.In 2020 the Navy had asimple plan to build itsnext fleet of small warships,the Constellation class:buy a European design andbuild it in America. Opinion The Editorial Board make what the Military needs By The Editorial BoardThe editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom. At…